This post contains spoilers for "Reservoir Dogs" and "City on Fire" (1987)
Acclaimed actor/writer/director Quentin Tarantino is known for paying homage to classic films in his work, a signature move that he made even in his debut feature, the 1992 heist movie "Reservoir Dogs." The director's films frequently nod to foreign and obscure cinema, offering plenty of Easter eggs for the attentive viewer. A close watch of any of his films might feel like an unbroken string of cinematic references, but sometimes the influence of a single film is so strong that it permeates through the entire movie. Such is the case for "Reservoir Dogs," and the Hong Kong action movie "City on Fire."
The 1987 crime film by director Ringo Lam tells the story of Ko Chow, an undercover cop who is forced to take on another risky job when a fellow policeman is killed by a gang of thieves.
Acclaimed actor/writer/director Quentin Tarantino is known for paying homage to classic films in his work, a signature move that he made even in his debut feature, the 1992 heist movie "Reservoir Dogs." The director's films frequently nod to foreign and obscure cinema, offering plenty of Easter eggs for the attentive viewer. A close watch of any of his films might feel like an unbroken string of cinematic references, but sometimes the influence of a single film is so strong that it permeates through the entire movie. Such is the case for "Reservoir Dogs," and the Hong Kong action movie "City on Fire."
The 1987 crime film by director Ringo Lam tells the story of Ko Chow, an undercover cop who is forced to take on another risky job when a fellow policeman is killed by a gang of thieves.
- 2/18/2024
- by Shae Sennett
- Slash Film
Why do we not talk about “The Adventurers?” To be fair, this could be asked about many of Ringo Lam's films. For a filmmaker widely considered to be one of the “Big Three” of Hong Kong action along with Tsui Hark and John Woo, only a few of Lam's films are discussed frequently outside of cinephile circles. His work tended to be jagged, foregoing Woo's elegance and Hark's epic scope in favor of open-wound intensity. A film like “School on Fire,” for example, functions more as social issue drama than action flick. This nervy, uncompromising style perhaps lacked the slick commercial appeal of his contemporaries, which would explain why some of his relatively minor B-Sides tend to be left out of the conversation. This is a shame, because “The Adventurers” is an admirably over-the-top revenge thriller that deserves to be seen.
On paper, the film sounds like...
On paper, the film sounds like...
- 11/27/2023
- by Henry McKeand
- AsianMoviePulse
Keanu Reeves’ master assassin may have been left for almost dead at the end of the fourth John Wick film, but things are alive and kicking in the franchise, at least retroactively.
Or, to quote Mel Gibson, who plays the manager of the “precious” hotel for killers at the center of the ’70s and New York-set The Continental: From the World of John Wick: “Son of a bitch, where’s my f*ckin’ shotgun?”
With more than its fair share of Me Decade revolutionaries, rats (literal and figurative) and “fun fumes,” as Gibson’s feral Cormac exclaims, The Continental primarily is a throwback to the heroic bloodshed genre perfected by Ringo Lam and John Woo in the 1980s. With more than a nod or two to 2011’s The Raid, the limited series partially directed by Albert Hughes kicks bellbottomed butt in true John Wick style over its September 22-debuting three-part run on Peacock.
Or, to quote Mel Gibson, who plays the manager of the “precious” hotel for killers at the center of the ’70s and New York-set The Continental: From the World of John Wick: “Son of a bitch, where’s my f*ckin’ shotgun?”
With more than its fair share of Me Decade revolutionaries, rats (literal and figurative) and “fun fumes,” as Gibson’s feral Cormac exclaims, The Continental primarily is a throwback to the heroic bloodshed genre perfected by Ringo Lam and John Woo in the 1980s. With more than a nod or two to 2011’s The Raid, the limited series partially directed by Albert Hughes kicks bellbottomed butt in true John Wick style over its September 22-debuting three-part run on Peacock.
- 9/20/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
In the West (and indeed by me), Ringo Lam is perhaps best known as the director of Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicles like Maximum Risk and the underrated In Hell, but like most of the Hong Kong filmmakers who started doing English language work in the ’90s and ’00s, he had a long history in action movies in his home country. He directed many contemporary action films, notably City on Fire, which Quentin Tarantino took liberal inspiration from for parts of Reservoir Dogs.
Burning Paradise, made in 1994, is Lam’s sole wuxia film. A remake of 1965’s Temple of the Red Lotus, starring the legendary Jimmy Wang Yu, it follows Fong Sai-yuk (Willie Chi Tian-Sheng), a survivor of the sacking of Shaolin Temple by the Manchu army. However, he is captured, along with a young girl, Dau Dau (Carman Lee Yeuk-Tung), who helped him and his master hide from the Manchu.
Burning Paradise, made in 1994, is Lam’s sole wuxia film. A remake of 1965’s Temple of the Red Lotus, starring the legendary Jimmy Wang Yu, it follows Fong Sai-yuk (Willie Chi Tian-Sheng), a survivor of the sacking of Shaolin Temple by the Manchu army. However, he is captured, along with a young girl, Dau Dau (Carman Lee Yeuk-Tung), who helped him and his master hide from the Manchu.
- 5/26/2023
- by Sam Inglis
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Berlin Film Festival is once again finding house room for Hong Kong’s most commercially successful enfant terrible, Soi Cheang, aka Cheang Pou Soi, who previously brought film noir “Limbo” to the Berlinale.
This time he attends with “Mad Fate,” a film about destiny that may be Cheang’s most bloodthirsty, but which the director says is intended to be inspirational. It plays in the Berlinale Special section.
Born in Macau, Cheang developed his career at the feet of Ringo Lam, Andrew Lau, Joe Ma, Wilson Yip and Johnnie To, the great stylists of the crime and action film genre across the Pearl River estuary in Hong Kong. To, who is on the Berlin jury this year, is also a producer on “Mad Fate” through his Makerville label.
“Essentially the story is about a fortune teller who meets a young man who has this really strong desire to commit murder.
This time he attends with “Mad Fate,” a film about destiny that may be Cheang’s most bloodthirsty, but which the director says is intended to be inspirational. It plays in the Berlinale Special section.
Born in Macau, Cheang developed his career at the feet of Ringo Lam, Andrew Lau, Joe Ma, Wilson Yip and Johnnie To, the great stylists of the crime and action film genre across the Pearl River estuary in Hong Kong. To, who is on the Berlin jury this year, is also a producer on “Mad Fate” through his Makerville label.
“Essentially the story is about a fortune teller who meets a young man who has this really strong desire to commit murder.
- 2/18/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
‘Motorway’ Director In The Driving Seat
Cheang Pou Soi (better known as Soi Cheang) whose latest film “Mad Fate” will premiere this month at the Berlin Film Festival, will be further honored next month when the Hong Kong International Film Festival makes him its Filmmaker in Focus.
He was born in Macau, but gained his footing in the much larger Hong Kong film industry, under the tutelage of Ringo Lam, Andrew Lau, Joe Ma, Wilson Yip and Johnnie To. He achieved a breakthrough with 1999 digital video “Our Last Day.”
“Cheang is a key figure among Hong Kong’s post-1997 generation of filmmakers and notable for his sombre but unmistakably personal visual style,” Hkiff Society director Albert Lee said in a statement. “He seldom deviates from mainstream storytelling conventions, but innovatively explores new boundaries of filmmaking across different genres, from horror and thriller to action films. In the stark dystopia he creates,...
Cheang Pou Soi (better known as Soi Cheang) whose latest film “Mad Fate” will premiere this month at the Berlin Film Festival, will be further honored next month when the Hong Kong International Film Festival makes him its Filmmaker in Focus.
He was born in Macau, but gained his footing in the much larger Hong Kong film industry, under the tutelage of Ringo Lam, Andrew Lau, Joe Ma, Wilson Yip and Johnnie To. He achieved a breakthrough with 1999 digital video “Our Last Day.”
“Cheang is a key figure among Hong Kong’s post-1997 generation of filmmakers and notable for his sombre but unmistakably personal visual style,” Hkiff Society director Albert Lee said in a statement. “He seldom deviates from mainstream storytelling conventions, but innovatively explores new boundaries of filmmaking across different genres, from horror and thriller to action films. In the stark dystopia he creates,...
- 2/3/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The 47th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF47) will honour Soi Cheang as this year’s Filmmaker-in-Focus.
One of Hong Kong’s most stylish and formidable directors, Cheang joins an illustrious and growing list of recent Hkiff Filmmakers-in-Focus, including Sandra Ng, Stanley Kwan, Michael Hui, Sammo Hung and Brigitte Lin.
Returning to its traditional dates after last year’s postponement, HKIFF47 will take place from 30 March to 10 April. At the centre of this year’s cinephile extravaganza is the showcase of Cheang’s 12 seminal works, the publication of a commemorative book and, in collaboration with long-term festival partner Moleskine, the release of a limited edition notebook. Cheang will also attend a Face-to-Face session to share his insights and vision with the public.
In making the announcement, Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Executive Director Albert Lee paid tribute to Cheang and said the festival was proud to recognise his indelible contribution to Hong Kong cinema.
One of Hong Kong’s most stylish and formidable directors, Cheang joins an illustrious and growing list of recent Hkiff Filmmakers-in-Focus, including Sandra Ng, Stanley Kwan, Michael Hui, Sammo Hung and Brigitte Lin.
Returning to its traditional dates after last year’s postponement, HKIFF47 will take place from 30 March to 10 April. At the centre of this year’s cinephile extravaganza is the showcase of Cheang’s 12 seminal works, the publication of a commemorative book and, in collaboration with long-term festival partner Moleskine, the release of a limited edition notebook. Cheang will also attend a Face-to-Face session to share his insights and vision with the public.
In making the announcement, Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Executive Director Albert Lee paid tribute to Cheang and said the festival was proud to recognise his indelible contribution to Hong Kong cinema.
- 2/3/2023
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Director / Producer / Showrunner Greg Yaitanes discusses a few of his favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Innerspace (1987) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, The Atomo-Vision Of Joe Dante At The American Cinematheque
The Ipcress File (1965) – Howard Rodman’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
On The Border (1998)
Hard Justice (1995)
Rorschach (1993)
Hard Target (1993)
Hard Boiled (1992)
Risky Business (1983)
Assault Platoon (1990)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Star Wars (1977)
All That Jazz (1979) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Star 80 (1983)
Lenny (1974) – Robert Weide’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Pope Of Greenwich Village (1984)
Southern Comfort (1981)
The Trial (1962) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary
How To Train Your Dragon (2010)
Babylon (2022)
Hitman’s Run (1999)
Birdy (1984)
The Last Temptation Of Christ (1988)
The Paper House (1986)
A History Of Violence (2005)
The Passion Of The Christ (2004)
Hail Mary (1985)
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
Double Tap (1997)
Conspiracy Theory (1997)
Die Hard (1988)
Heat (1995)
Manhunter (1986) – Josh Olson’s...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Innerspace (1987) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, The Atomo-Vision Of Joe Dante At The American Cinematheque
The Ipcress File (1965) – Howard Rodman’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
On The Border (1998)
Hard Justice (1995)
Rorschach (1993)
Hard Target (1993)
Hard Boiled (1992)
Risky Business (1983)
Assault Platoon (1990)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Star Wars (1977)
All That Jazz (1979) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Star 80 (1983)
Lenny (1974) – Robert Weide’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Pope Of Greenwich Village (1984)
Southern Comfort (1981)
The Trial (1962) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary
How To Train Your Dragon (2010)
Babylon (2022)
Hitman’s Run (1999)
Birdy (1984)
The Last Temptation Of Christ (1988)
The Paper House (1986)
A History Of Violence (2005)
The Passion Of The Christ (2004)
Hail Mary (1985)
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
Double Tap (1997)
Conspiracy Theory (1997)
Die Hard (1988)
Heat (1995)
Manhunter (1986) – Josh Olson’s...
- 1/31/2023
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
A director needs a certain finesse when paying subtle homage to other films that may have influenced the movie they're making. References and easter eggs can add an extra layer of depth to a story, but if it isn't handled right, it can wind up being a distraction that takes the viewer out of the moment. Jordan Peele and Quentin Tarantino are two modern filmmakers who do it right, using film history to reveal personal connections that have meaning for them and to give credit to the movies that inspired them. Peele, in particular, peppers in references to horror films in an incredibly nerdy, fun way that reveals just how much of a genre fan he really is.
The very beginning of Peele's second film "Us" features a few strategically placed VHS tapes that are undoubtedly some of the director's favorite films. But they're also there for a reason. "The Goonies...
The very beginning of Peele's second film "Us" features a few strategically placed VHS tapes that are undoubtedly some of the director's favorite films. But they're also there for a reason. "The Goonies...
- 10/30/2022
- by Drew Tinnin
- Slash Film
Quentin Tarantino visited “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Thursday to hawk his new book “Cinema Speculation,” to name-drop Claudia Cardinale within the first 30 seconds, to repeat the goofy “Dinosaur Walk” song he sings to his toddler son, and, ultimately, defend himself over claims about his Academy Award-winning film “Django Unchained.”
His book, an essay about favorite movies, also serves as something of an autobiography. While jawing with Jimmy Kimmel, he dished that his mother, Connie Zastoupil, used to date a number of sports celebrities. He mentioned Happy Hairston as who never took Qt to the movies, the same as a much more famous athlete, Wilt Chamberlain. Though the 13x NBA All-Star was, shall we say, notable for scoring on and off the court, the “Pulp Fiction” director claimed that Chamberlain and Tarantino’s mom were together for a few years and, while they were never exclusive, she was, for a spell,...
His book, an essay about favorite movies, also serves as something of an autobiography. While jawing with Jimmy Kimmel, he dished that his mother, Connie Zastoupil, used to date a number of sports celebrities. He mentioned Happy Hairston as who never took Qt to the movies, the same as a much more famous athlete, Wilt Chamberlain. Though the 13x NBA All-Star was, shall we say, notable for scoring on and off the court, the “Pulp Fiction” director claimed that Chamberlain and Tarantino’s mom were together for a few years and, while they were never exclusive, she was, for a spell,...
- 10/28/2022
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
A city enjoying a spectacular growth spur and a metropolis dying out as we speak. A star looking for a way out from a deadly trap and a teenager determined to have a say in her own future. Japanese feel-good movies and terrifying horrors. As always, Five Flavours offers a full spectrum of moods, emotions, and themes. We announce the complete program of the Festival and kick off tickets sales!
Five Flavours Asian Film Festival is the annual review of the best cinema from East, Southeast, and South Asia organized in Poland. Since 2006, it presents the premieres of the newest, carefully selected films from the region, the classics from Asian archives, retrospectives of selected filmmakers, and reviews of national cinemas.
This year’s selection includes 39 meticulously chosen films, 30 of which will be available online, on the territory of Poland only. After the success of last year’s hybrid edition, Five...
Five Flavours Asian Film Festival is the annual review of the best cinema from East, Southeast, and South Asia organized in Poland. Since 2006, it presents the premieres of the newest, carefully selected films from the region, the classics from Asian archives, retrospectives of selected filmmakers, and reviews of national cinemas.
This year’s selection includes 39 meticulously chosen films, 30 of which will be available online, on the territory of Poland only. After the success of last year’s hybrid edition, Five...
- 10/26/2022
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
In 1992, Quentin Tarantino received the greatest gift a provocateur director could ask for when his debut film, "Reservoir Dogs," proved so intense that multiple attendees of that year's Sundance Film Festival fled the first screening. The scene that sent them running was, of course, Michael Madsen's torture of a kidnapped cop scored to Stealers Wheel's kitschy '70s hit, "Stuck in the Middle with You." It's a macabrely hilarious sequence that peaks when Madsen's Mr. Blonde slices the officer's ear off with a straight razor, and it's particularly effective because Tarantino pans away from the cop as Madsen goes to work. In movies, it's often the brutality that's left to your imagination that cuts the deepest.
Tarantino, whose career would flourish due to his cast-iron stomach for ultraviolence, was understandably thrilled to learn that "Reservoir Dogs" had struck a raw nerve with Sundance audiences, but he was annoyed when Steve Buscemi (aka Mr.
Tarantino, whose career would flourish due to his cast-iron stomach for ultraviolence, was understandably thrilled to learn that "Reservoir Dogs" had struck a raw nerve with Sundance audiences, but he was annoyed when Steve Buscemi (aka Mr.
- 10/15/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Chicago, Il – Asian Pop-Up Cinema: Season 15 concludes with an exclusive world premiere and first-ever programming partnerships with emerging short film platform Sorry Not Sorry (Sns) and Facets. The in-person festival runs through
November 6 with two closing night films, awards presentations, and Screenings with the Stars: Season 15 Finale, an inaugural reception benefitting the expansion of Asian Pop-Up Cinema. Tickets are on sale now at: www.asianpopupcinema.org/s15-finale
Making its world premiere, Deliverance tells a story of a fractured family of four brothers and one sister confronting haunting memories of their mother’s passing. Lead actress Summer Chan will receive the third Bright Star Award of this season and will be honored in person at the October 29, 4:30 pm screening at AMC Newcity 14. Director Kelvin Shum, screenwriter Kyle Shum, and producer Charlie Wong are also scheduled to appear for the introduction and post-film Q&A moderated by Hollywood Chicago’s Pat McDonald.
November 6 with two closing night films, awards presentations, and Screenings with the Stars: Season 15 Finale, an inaugural reception benefitting the expansion of Asian Pop-Up Cinema. Tickets are on sale now at: www.asianpopupcinema.org/s15-finale
Making its world premiere, Deliverance tells a story of a fractured family of four brothers and one sister confronting haunting memories of their mother’s passing. Lead actress Summer Chan will receive the third Bright Star Award of this season and will be honored in person at the October 29, 4:30 pm screening at AMC Newcity 14. Director Kelvin Shum, screenwriter Kyle Shum, and producer Charlie Wong are also scheduled to appear for the introduction and post-film Q&A moderated by Hollywood Chicago’s Pat McDonald.
- 9/29/2022
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Asian Pop-Up Cinema today announces the spotlight Marquee films scheduled for the 15th Season, September 10 – November 6. The upcoming Fall festival will highlight the best animation from Asia with a diverse lineup of films from China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Additionally announced is Jennifer Yu as the recipient of the festival’s Bright Star Award, who will come to Chicago specially for the award ceremony.
Season 15 kicks off with a pre-festival film event screening of Wei Jun-Zie’s documentary Kungfu Stuntmen, a behind-the-scenes look at Hong Kong action cinema and the contributions from martial artists. The film highlights the dedication of stuntmen, from prominent seniors to newcomers, throughout the profession’s 70-year history.. Tickets are General Admission (8/Adults with discounts for seniors & students); on sale at https://buytickets.at/Apuc.
Opening film, I Am What I Am is a lively action comedy telling the story of three...
Season 15 kicks off with a pre-festival film event screening of Wei Jun-Zie’s documentary Kungfu Stuntmen, a behind-the-scenes look at Hong Kong action cinema and the contributions from martial artists. The film highlights the dedication of stuntmen, from prominent seniors to newcomers, throughout the profession’s 70-year history.. Tickets are General Admission (8/Adults with discounts for seniors & students); on sale at https://buytickets.at/Apuc.
Opening film, I Am What I Am is a lively action comedy telling the story of three...
- 8/10/2022
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Second entry in Ringo Lam’s “on Fire” quadrilogy, “Prison on Fire” was Hong Kong’s second highest grossing film in the year of its release, and another stepping stone in the path Ringo Lam and Chow Yun-fat were taking towards the top of Hk cinema.
Buy This Title
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Yiu is a young advertising executive in Hong Kong. One night, during an attack his father suffers from thugs, he ends up pushing one of them in front of a passing bus, in a series of events that end up with him sentenced to spend three years in prison. In an environment filled with sadistic or illogical employees (head guard Scarface and the prison doctor respectively), bullies and triad members, Yiu looks like a fish outside the water. Thankfully, Mad Dog, a cheerful inmate who knows the ins and outs of prison, takes him under his wing, trying to protect him from everyone.
Buy This Title
on Amazon
Yiu is a young advertising executive in Hong Kong. One night, during an attack his father suffers from thugs, he ends up pushing one of them in front of a passing bus, in a series of events that end up with him sentenced to spend three years in prison. In an environment filled with sadistic or illogical employees (head guard Scarface and the prison doctor respectively), bullies and triad members, Yiu looks like a fish outside the water. Thankfully, Mad Dog, a cheerful inmate who knows the ins and outs of prison, takes him under his wing, trying to protect him from everyone.
- 7/11/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSLight Industry, a much-loved venue for film and electronic art in New York, is creating a beautiful new space to host their talks and screenings. They are seeking donations to cover the costs of construction.Almost 40 years after first meeting as employees of California's Video Archives, Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, co-writers on Pulp Fiction, will be making a new podcast together, watching and discussing movies that they first discovered in the library of the former video rental store.Apple have landed Steve McQueen's next feature, Blitz, a film set during World War II which will tell the wartime stories of a selection of Londoners.In what is yet another high-profile exit at a major film festival, Tabitha Jackson will be departing from her role as director of the Sundance Film Festival. As IndieWire note in their article,...
- 6/9/2022
- MUBI
Antique shop owner Elaine is a mother and a gun runner; her crime boss, Mr. Hung (Paul Chun) uses her shop as a base for importing firearms. They also have a young daughter Ka Ka whom she brings along when she sells those guns illegally in an old apartment in Hong Kong. Hung’s henchman, known as Bullet (Roy Cheung) is always there during the sales as a lookout and a safeguard.
However, during the latest transaction, Inspector Lau Chung Pong (Chow Yun-fat) and his squad show up at the door, a shootout follows, and Elaine is wounded while the gun buyers manage to escape. Accordingly, Bullet has no choice but to kill her because they don’t want to leave any loose ends and of course, Ka Ka witnesses the whole ordeal. Further investigations lead Inspector Lau to a small village outside of Hong Kong where Elaine’s sister,...
However, during the latest transaction, Inspector Lau Chung Pong (Chow Yun-fat) and his squad show up at the door, a shootout follows, and Elaine is wounded while the gun buyers manage to escape. Accordingly, Bullet has no choice but to kill her because they don’t want to leave any loose ends and of course, Ka Ka witnesses the whole ordeal. Further investigations lead Inspector Lau to a small village outside of Hong Kong where Elaine’s sister,...
- 8/10/2021
- by David Chew
- AsianMoviePulse
Quebec’s Fantasia Festival has unveiled the third and final wave of titles set to screen at this year’s 25th edition and announced that Takashi Miike’s latest feature “The Great Yokai War – Guardians,” will close the festival. The world premiere of Julien Knafo’s Quebec zombie flic “Brain Freeze” will open the festival following an Aug. 4 pre-fest screening of James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad.”
“The Great Yokai War- Guardians” is the follow-up to Fantasia 2006 opener “The Great Yoki War,” and unspools in a fantasy world of Japanese demons, kaiju and pop culture references which proved a hit in Montreal the first time around.
Other key titles featured in the third wave lineup include Lee Won-tae’s “The Devil’s Deal,” his first film since “The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil” won Sitges’ best film award in 2019. BAFTA-winner Paul Andrew Williams’ (“Murdered for Being Different”) “Bull,” a revenge thriller,...
“The Great Yokai War- Guardians” is the follow-up to Fantasia 2006 opener “The Great Yoki War,” and unspools in a fantasy world of Japanese demons, kaiju and pop culture references which proved a hit in Montreal the first time around.
Other key titles featured in the third wave lineup include Lee Won-tae’s “The Devil’s Deal,” his first film since “The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil” won Sitges’ best film award in 2019. BAFTA-winner Paul Andrew Williams’ (“Murdered for Being Different”) “Bull,” a revenge thriller,...
- 7/21/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Around this time, several productions emerged that seemed to mirror the success of “The Untouchables”. “First Shot” was to follow a few years after this, but in the same year came “The Big Heat” also produced by Tsui Hark and starring Waise Lee. All three are set in different periods, but feature a similar narrative around police corruption and a small team of straight cops that refused to succumb. The latter of the three is the finer piece of work but whilst this production is flawed it is not without merit. Kirk Wong is probably not talked about a lot in modern circles. Whilst he doesn’t have the visual flourish of a peak John Woo, or the intensity of a Ringo Lam, his work always has, for the most part, a polish that other contemporaries lack.
During the Chinese civil war, four friends escape from the...
During the Chinese civil war, four friends escape from the...
- 5/10/2021
- by Ben Stykuc
- AsianMoviePulse
During the early 1990’s there was an incredible array of outstanding films to emerge from the final embers of the Hong Kong New Wave. So much so, that inevitably some would get lost and become fragmented memories waiting to be rediscovered. “Burning Paradise” in my home country of England received a video release from the “Made in Hong Kong Label” that was responsible for converting many like myself to this incredible cinematic world. After that, nothing. Whilst Ringo Lam would forever be remembered for his contribution to Heroic Bloodshed with “City on Fire” and “Full Contact”, this, his sole attempt at the period action genre, has largely been ignored. A gothic horror infused martial arts epic with its canvas seeped in blood and arguably his finest achievement.
After the destruction of the Shaolin Temple, Fong Sai Yuk (Willie Chi) and a monk are chased into the desert.
After the destruction of the Shaolin Temple, Fong Sai Yuk (Willie Chi) and a monk are chased into the desert.
- 4/28/2021
- by Ben Stykuc
- AsianMoviePulse
A North American rights deal for mainland Chinese fantasy action film ‘God of War II, was one of several film sales deals struck by Hong Kong’s Media Asia at the recent European Film Market and the ongoing FilMart.
Directed by Cai Cong, and starring Charles Lin, Liu Yuxi and David Wu, the film was completed in 2020. The buyer was WellGo USA, a regular distributor of Chinese and other Asian movies.
Media Asia also hatched a package of deals for films including “Septet,” “Fagara” and “The Calling of a Bus Driver” with Japanese distributor Musahino. It licensef “Septet” and “Tales From the Occult” to Singapore-based Clover Films for both Singapore and Malaysia.
“Septet: The Story of Hong Kong” is an anthology of seven short films by seven of the city’s most revered directors – Tsui Hark, Ann Hui, Sammo Hung, Patrick Tam, Yuen Woo-ping, Ringo Lam, and Johnnie To, who...
Directed by Cai Cong, and starring Charles Lin, Liu Yuxi and David Wu, the film was completed in 2020. The buyer was WellGo USA, a regular distributor of Chinese and other Asian movies.
Media Asia also hatched a package of deals for films including “Septet,” “Fagara” and “The Calling of a Bus Driver” with Japanese distributor Musahino. It licensef “Septet” and “Tales From the Occult” to Singapore-based Clover Films for both Singapore and Malaysia.
“Septet: The Story of Hong Kong” is an anthology of seven short films by seven of the city’s most revered directors – Tsui Hark, Ann Hui, Sammo Hung, Patrick Tam, Yuen Woo-ping, Ringo Lam, and Johnnie To, who...
- 3/18/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The Hong Kong International Film Festival, running April 1-12 this year as joint online/in-person event, will open with the premiere of two high-profile local features: Philip Yung’s Where the Wind Blows, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Aaron Kwok, and Septet: The Story of Hong Kong, an omnibus film co-helmed by seven acclaimed Hong Kong directors including Sammo Hung, Ann Hui, Patrick Tam, Yuen Woo-ping, Johnnie To, Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark.
The lineup was unveiled Wednesday in a video presentation by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society’s executive director Albert Lee. “For the first time in our history, we ...
The lineup was unveiled Wednesday in a video presentation by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society’s executive director Albert Lee. “For the first time in our history, we ...
- 3/10/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The Hong Kong International Film Festival, running April 1-12 this year as joint online/in-person event, will open with the premiere of two high-profile local features: Philip Yung’s Where the Wind Blows, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Aaron Kwok, and Septet: The Story of Hong Kong, an omnibus film co-helmed by seven acclaimed Hong Kong directors including Sammo Hung, Ann Hui, Patrick Tam, Yuen Woo-ping, Johnnie To, Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark.
The lineup was unveiled Wednesday in a video presentation by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society’s executive director Albert Lee. “For the first time in our history, we ...
The lineup was unveiled Wednesday in a video presentation by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society’s executive director Albert Lee. “For the first time in our history, we ...
- 3/10/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Hong Kong International Film Festival has unveiled a familiar lineup of titles, talks and retrospectives for its 45th edition, which will return to its normal springtime slot after disruptions last year caused by the coronavirus.
“For the first time in our history, we will be presenting a hybrid festival consisting of both in-theatre and virtual screenings and events. While our belief in watching films communally on a big screen is unwavering, recent lockdowns and social distancing measures have accelerated our need to explore uncharted waters by embracing an additional online component,” said Hkiff Society executive director Albert Lee.
“The program is well balanced and covers a broad spectrum, from rarely-seen silent classics to contemporary filmmakers’ latest work. I am particularly thrilled to note that the festival will open with two significant Hong Kong films for the first time in recent years. So much for the talks of the demise of Hong Kong cinema!
“For the first time in our history, we will be presenting a hybrid festival consisting of both in-theatre and virtual screenings and events. While our belief in watching films communally on a big screen is unwavering, recent lockdowns and social distancing measures have accelerated our need to explore uncharted waters by embracing an additional online component,” said Hkiff Society executive director Albert Lee.
“The program is well balanced and covers a broad spectrum, from rarely-seen silent classics to contemporary filmmakers’ latest work. I am particularly thrilled to note that the festival will open with two significant Hong Kong films for the first time in recent years. So much for the talks of the demise of Hong Kong cinema!
- 3/10/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Looking for VeneraThe first titles for the International Film Festival Rotterdam's hybrid multi-part 50th edition program have been revealed. Under new festival director Vanja Kaludjercic, the newly-organized and extended IFFR 2021 will feature a new program structure, with competition sections to be presented between 1 – 7 February. The festival will resume again between 2 – 6 June with Bright Future (the festival's existing section dedicated to emerging film talent) and what will be the festival's latest and largest section, Harbour. In February the festival will also celebrate the 75th anniversary of Amsterdam's Eye Filmmusuem, while in June IFFR's own 50th year will be celebrated with a special anniversary program. Tiger COMPETITIONAgate mousse (Selim Mourad)Bebia, à mon seul désir (Juja Dobrachkous)Bipolar (Queena Li)Black MedusaA Corsican Summer (Pascal Tagnati)The Edge of Daybreak (Taiki Sakpisit)Feast (Tim Leyendekker)Friends and Strangers (James Vaughan)Gritt (Itonje Søimer Guttormsen)Landscapes of Resistance (Marta Popivoda)Liborio (Nino Martínez Sosa...
- 12/22/2020
- MUBI
2020 will go down in history for many things. The pandemic. The US elections. Rat-filled sinkholes. But 2020 will also go down in history as the year of Asian cinema: when Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” (2019) became the first non-English language film to win the coveted Academy Award for Best Picture; when Ann Hui was recognized with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement Award at Venice Film Festival; when Mohammad Rasoulof’s Iranian drama “There Is No Evil” (2020) won Berlinale’s Golden Bear. And this is not even to mention the stellar achievements we’ve had at Asian Movie Pulse as well – including a new partnership with Mubi, a curated arthouse streaming service, and 1000 followers on Instagram. Now, we just want to take a step back to reflect on this year.
Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah — arguably the first major event to kick off the film festival circuit — gave us a...
Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah — arguably the first major event to kick off the film festival circuit — gave us a...
- 12/21/2020
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Busan, Asia’s premier film festival, which kicks off Wednesday, has regularly reinvented itself in the face of literal and metaphorical storms.
Painfully, over a period of years, the Busan festival overcame the political storm that followed its 2014 screening of “Diving Bell” (aka “The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol”), a film about a ferry disaster with which the government of the time took issue.
The festival has also, literally, battled the weather, timed as it is during the typhoon season in the region. The grandeur of the opening ceremony has regularly been accompanied by ponchos and umbrellas, as gowned and dinner-jacketed celebrity guests from around the world kept a nervous eye on the weather.
The storm being endured in 2020 is that of an invisible assailant with visible consequences – the coronavirus pandemic. Though Korea has largely weathered this particular tempest, travel restrictions and closed borders means that this year’s...
Painfully, over a period of years, the Busan festival overcame the political storm that followed its 2014 screening of “Diving Bell” (aka “The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol”), a film about a ferry disaster with which the government of the time took issue.
The festival has also, literally, battled the weather, timed as it is during the typhoon season in the region. The grandeur of the opening ceremony has regularly been accompanied by ponchos and umbrellas, as gowned and dinner-jacketed celebrity guests from around the world kept a nervous eye on the weather.
The storm being endured in 2020 is that of an invisible assailant with visible consequences – the coronavirus pandemic. Though Korea has largely weathered this particular tempest, travel restrictions and closed borders means that this year’s...
- 10/21/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Festival spearheaded by Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux set to run in Lyon October 10 to 18.
France’s Lumière Film Festival will host 23 titles from the Cannes Film Festival’s special 2020 Official Selection at its 12th edition running October 10 to 18 in Lyon.
The festival spearheaded by Cannes delegate general Thierry Frémaux, in his other role as head of the Institut Lumière, is pushing on with the 2020 edition in the face of rising Covid-19 restrictions in France following a surge in cases in the country.
The Lumière showcase represents just under half the 56 titles selected for Cannes’s special 2020 Official Selection that it...
France’s Lumière Film Festival will host 23 titles from the Cannes Film Festival’s special 2020 Official Selection at its 12th edition running October 10 to 18 in Lyon.
The festival spearheaded by Cannes delegate general Thierry Frémaux, in his other role as head of the Institut Lumière, is pushing on with the 2020 edition in the face of rising Covid-19 restrictions in France following a surge in cases in the country.
The Lumière showcase represents just under half the 56 titles selected for Cannes’s special 2020 Official Selection that it...
- 10/7/2020
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: aKasha.We've been alerted by the programming team at the Toronto International Film Festival that Sudanese filmmaker Hajooj Kuka (aKasha), along with five other artists, has been sentenced to two months in prison.Speaking of TIFF, Chloé Zhao's Nomadland won the disrupted festival's People's Choice Award. Other notable winners this year include Michelle Latimer's Inconvenient Indian, Chaitanya Tamhane's The Disciple, and Dea Kulumbegashvili's Beginning.The great French actor Michael Lonsdale has died at the age of 89. Lonsdale's career range was incredible, including Jacques Rivette's epic Out 1, the James Bond film Moonraker, Marguerite Duras's India Song, and Spielberg's Munich. His physically towering presence was one of the great connective tissues across international cinema.Recommended VIEWINGSpike Lee has been having a big year, first with Da 5 Bloods...
- 9/23/2020
- MUBI
"Over 7 decades of its history..." An early promo trailer has arrived for the omnibus feature film Septet: The Story of Hong Kong, which is premiering at the Festival Lumière this fall. Seven of Hong Kong's leading filmmakers have come together to each direct a short film set in Hong Kong during one decade from the 1940s to the 2000s. Yet another film looking back at the history of cinema, made by the filmmakers who shaped that history. It's an important time to celebrate Hong Kong as an independent nation and a unique place, and what better way than to highlight filmmakers and stories from there. The cast of Septet includes Simon Yam, Francis Ng, Lam Suet, Yuen Wah, Timmy Hung, Cheung Tat Ming, Lawrence Lau, Emotion Cheung, and Sire Ma. The seven filmmakers are: Sammo Hung, Ann Hui, Patrick Tam, Yuen Woo-ping, Johnnie To, Ringo Lam, and Tsui Hark. Get...
- 9/16/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
A feast for Hong Kong cinema lovers, Milkyway Image and Media Asia Distribution present an omnibus film by seven of Hong Kong’s most renowned directors: Sammo Hung, Ann Hui, Patrick Tam, Yuen Woo-ping, Johnnie To, Tsui Hark, and the late Ringo Lam. The project was initiated by Johnnie To, as a tribute to his home city and the final outcome “Septet: The Story of Hong Kong” premiered as official selection of the Cannes Film Festival 2020.
Synopsis
“Septet: The Story of Hong Kong’s” is a seven-part anthology, a collection of sketches exploring the history of Hong Kong one decade after the other, from the 1940s to present day.
Synopsis
“Septet: The Story of Hong Kong’s” is a seven-part anthology, a collection of sketches exploring the history of Hong Kong one decade after the other, from the 1940s to present day.
- 9/15/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Anthology films do not have the finest track record; they might not even have a good one. (New York’s Quad Cinema created an entire series centered on this problem.) Time and again, though, we see the names of however-many directors and actors we admire and think, well, there must be something to take in here—that much talent’s got to yield a worthwhile experience. Fool me twice, shame on me, but I’m made hopeful by the lineup for Septet: The Story of Hong Kong, a seven-part, seven-decade-spanning view of the city that’s produced, to my mind, the most consistently admirable oeuvre in world cinema.
And it is a great lineup: Sammo Hung, Ann Hui, Patrick Tam, Yuen Woo-ping, Johnnie To, Ringo Lam (offering his final work), and Tsui Hark. Notwithstanding the accompaniment by horrible music, this trailer hints at a panoply of styles and tones, though...
And it is a great lineup: Sammo Hung, Ann Hui, Patrick Tam, Yuen Woo-ping, Johnnie To, Ringo Lam (offering his final work), and Tsui Hark. Notwithstanding the accompaniment by horrible music, this trailer hints at a panoply of styles and tones, though...
- 9/14/2020
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
A documentary about the Wirecard financial scandal is in the works at Sky Studios. Gabriela Sperl is developing the project with producer Sffp, it will be directed by Benji and Jono Bergmann of Babka, who will also co-produce. The doc will chart the rise and fall of Wirecard, a financial payments firm once seen as the poster child for German tech innovation before it suddenly collapsed after the discovering of a €1.9Bn accounting black hole. Today, Wirecard’s CEO Markus Braun remains in custody with COO Jan Marsalek on the run, following the issuance of an international arrest warrant. In addition to the documentary, Sperl is also developing a fictional mini-series on the same topic for Sky Studios.
BBC Four has commissioned Brook Lapping, part of Zinc Media Group, to make a feature-length investigative documentary examining what became of the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s huge wealth in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.
BBC Four has commissioned Brook Lapping, part of Zinc Media Group, to make a feature-length investigative documentary examining what became of the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s huge wealth in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.
- 9/14/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The 25th Busan International Film Festival to close with animation ‘Josee, The Tiger And The Fish’.
The 25th Busan International Film Festival is set to open with the world premiere of Septet: The Story Of Hong Kong, directed by Sammo Hung, Ann Hui, Patrick Tam, Yuen Wo Ping, Johnnie To, Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark.
The omnibus film, which received a Cannes 2020 label, was initiated by To as a tribute to his home city and shot on film in honour of the golden age of Hong Kong cinema, during which all seven of the directors first emerged. The segment directed...
The 25th Busan International Film Festival is set to open with the world premiere of Septet: The Story Of Hong Kong, directed by Sammo Hung, Ann Hui, Patrick Tam, Yuen Wo Ping, Johnnie To, Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark.
The omnibus film, which received a Cannes 2020 label, was initiated by To as a tribute to his home city and shot on film in honour of the golden age of Hong Kong cinema, during which all seven of the directors first emerged. The segment directed...
- 9/14/2020
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
The 25th edition of the Busan International Film Festival will shrink by a third and be presented in a hybrid in-person and offline format, due to the challenges posed by the coronavirus.
Running with newly announced dates of Oct. 21-30, the festival will present foreign titles as both opening and closing films.
It will open with “Septet: The Story of Hong Kong,” an omnibus film by filmmakers from Hong Kong: Sammo Hung, Ann Hui, Patrick Tam, Yuen Wo Ping, Johnnie To, Ringo Lam, and Hark Tsui, which was previously official selection of the Cannes Film Festival. The festival will close with animated Japanese film “Josee, the Tiger and the Fish,” directed by Tamaru Kotaro.
The reduced format means that most events involving human contact have been canceled. These include the opening and closing ceremonies, red carpet, receptions, and parties. On-stage greetings, the ‘Open Talk’ fan meetings and other guest meetings...
Running with newly announced dates of Oct. 21-30, the festival will present foreign titles as both opening and closing films.
It will open with “Septet: The Story of Hong Kong,” an omnibus film by filmmakers from Hong Kong: Sammo Hung, Ann Hui, Patrick Tam, Yuen Wo Ping, Johnnie To, Ringo Lam, and Hark Tsui, which was previously official selection of the Cannes Film Festival. The festival will close with animated Japanese film “Josee, the Tiger and the Fish,” directed by Tamaru Kotaro.
The reduced format means that most events involving human contact have been canceled. These include the opening and closing ceremonies, red carpet, receptions, and parties. On-stage greetings, the ‘Open Talk’ fan meetings and other guest meetings...
- 9/14/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
An extraordinary production, developed on the initiative of Johnnie To, will honour official opening of the 14th edition of Five Flavours Asian Film Festival.
“Septet” is a tribute to the history of Hong Kong cinema and the city itself. Seven masters of Hong Kong cinema and seven stories set in the successive decades from the 1950s until today. The idea was conceived by Johnnie To, a remarkable creator of action cinema, who invited Sammo Hung, Ann Hui, Patrick Tam, Yuen Woo-ping, Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark to collaborate. Filmmakers returned to their artistic roots as “Septet” was shot entirely on 35mm film. The artists look with nostalgia at factors that influenced history of the region and shaped their own biographies. “Septet” combines traditions of Cantonese dramas and boldness of Hong Kong New Wave with appreciation of action movies, that gained so much love around the world.
In his episode Sammo Hung,...
“Septet” is a tribute to the history of Hong Kong cinema and the city itself. Seven masters of Hong Kong cinema and seven stories set in the successive decades from the 1950s until today. The idea was conceived by Johnnie To, a remarkable creator of action cinema, who invited Sammo Hung, Ann Hui, Patrick Tam, Yuen Woo-ping, Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark to collaborate. Filmmakers returned to their artistic roots as “Septet” was shot entirely on 35mm film. The artists look with nostalgia at factors that influenced history of the region and shaped their own biographies. “Septet” combines traditions of Cantonese dramas and boldness of Hong Kong New Wave with appreciation of action movies, that gained so much love around the world.
In his episode Sammo Hung,...
- 9/7/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Arguably, the 72nd edition of Cannes was one of the most historic editions in history for Asian cinema. After winning the Palme d’Or, Parasite and Bong Joon-ho quickly became a household names around the world. Even though we won’t quite get the drama of an in-person film festival this year (thanks to Covid-19), the 73rd edition of Cannes still released its full roster of would-be premieres. We’ve listed here the Asian films that did make 2020’s Official Selection.
Some overview: Asian films make up around 24% of the 55 films selected, most of which hail from East and Central Asia. Of the selection, we have some familiar names along with some newcomers, including a CGI Ghibli film, a sequel to zombie-thriller “Train to Busan,” and an omnibus love letter to Hong Kong by some of its most famous directors. See the full list below!
concept art for “Peninsula,” the...
Some overview: Asian films make up around 24% of the 55 films selected, most of which hail from East and Central Asia. Of the selection, we have some familiar names along with some newcomers, including a CGI Ghibli film, a sequel to zombie-thriller “Train to Busan,” and an omnibus love letter to Hong Kong by some of its most famous directors. See the full list below!
concept art for “Peninsula,” the...
- 6/10/2020
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
The selection includes films from Wes Anderson, Naomi Kawase and two Steve McQueen projects.
The Cannes Film Festival has announced its special 2020 Official Selection.
Festival President Pierre Lescure and General Delegate Thierry Frémaux revealed the line-up at a press conference in Paris, held without journalists this year.
With the 2020 physical festival cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Official Selection titles will be “supported” by Cannes as they screen in autumn festivals and beyond.
The 56-strong line-up includes Wes Anderson’s French Dispatch; two Steve McQueen projects - Mangrove and Lovers Rock; Maïwenn’s DNA; Naomi Kawase’s True Mothers; Thomas Vinterberg...
The Cannes Film Festival has announced its special 2020 Official Selection.
Festival President Pierre Lescure and General Delegate Thierry Frémaux revealed the line-up at a press conference in Paris, held without journalists this year.
With the 2020 physical festival cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Official Selection titles will be “supported” by Cannes as they screen in autumn festivals and beyond.
The 56-strong line-up includes Wes Anderson’s French Dispatch; two Steve McQueen projects - Mangrove and Lovers Rock; Maïwenn’s DNA; Naomi Kawase’s True Mothers; Thomas Vinterberg...
- 6/3/2020
- by 1101184¦Orlando Parfitt¦38¦
- ScreenDaily
Hong Kong is always on the edge of destruction. Almost as long as it has been a city, it has been in crisis. World War II and the subsequent Chinese Civil War saw a massive contraction and then expansion of its population, flooding the then-colony with an nigh unsustainable number of refugees. They were packed into hellishly inadequate housing and given jobs (when they could find them) at the lowest rungs of laissez-faire industry. As one generation transitioned to another and the colony’s economy boomed, massive scandals came to light of corruption and interconnection between the police force and the criminal gangs that dominated the still-nightmarish warrens where the city’s poor still lived. Then, in 1984, the British and Chinese governments agreed that Hong Kong would be returned to Mainland control before the end of the century. This set the clock ticking on the potential end of all that Hong Kongers had built,...
- 3/5/2020
- MUBI
Released in 1997 in its native country, Fruit Chan’s Made in Hong Kong was a landmark independent film, considered to be the first of its kind in a post-Handover Hong Kong. Over twenty years later, it’s finally arriving in the U.S. with a new 4K restoration courtesy of Udine Far East Film Festival and Metrograph Pictures.
Drawing comparisons to the likes of Jia Zhangke’s Unknown Pleasures, Nicholas Ray’s Rebel Without a Cause, and Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho, the story follows a high school dropout named Autumn Moon (Sam Lee) who is unsure of his future in a changing city. Made on a miniscule budget, it went on to win the Best Picture Award at the 1998 Hong Kong Film Awards and was the country’s Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.
In a Mubi profile of the director, Sean Gilman writes, “In...
Drawing comparisons to the likes of Jia Zhangke’s Unknown Pleasures, Nicholas Ray’s Rebel Without a Cause, and Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho, the story follows a high school dropout named Autumn Moon (Sam Lee) who is unsure of his future in a changing city. Made on a miniscule budget, it went on to win the Best Picture Award at the 1998 Hong Kong Film Awards and was the country’s Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.
In a Mubi profile of the director, Sean Gilman writes, “In...
- 2/20/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
When three of the best directors of modern Hong Kong action cinema come together, distributors as well as fans naturally become quite excited for the result of their efforts. Scheduled for filming in 2007, “Triangle” was planned as a frame story directed by Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam and Johnnie To, with each one taking charge of 30 minutes of the overall movie. To make matters even more interesting, they agreed on an overall narrative framework, but with each segment the director would work with a different crew and would continue the story with a different script. While Hark directed the first segment, Lam did the second and To’s segment concluded the film.
Of course, the overall concept and the premise of theses three directors working together looks very good in theory, there are however, some flaws within the final outcome which need to be addressed, many of which...
Of course, the overall concept and the premise of theses three directors working together looks very good in theory, there are however, some flaws within the final outcome which need to be addressed, many of which...
- 1/27/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSWe're saddened to hear that Anna Karina, one of the defining figures of the French New Wave, has died. Though primarily remembered as the muse of Jean-Luc Godard, Karina was a remarkable actor, writer, and filmmaker in her own right. Justin Chang of the L.A. Times recalls her toughness and charm as seen throughout her expansive career. Courtesy of Josh Martin, the Chinese Film Bureau has shared a promising updated on the long gestating anthology film Seven-Person Band (previously titled Eight & a Half). The omnibus film is produced by Johnnie To, and features "some of Hong Kong's most renowned directors," including the late Ringo Lam. Alex Ross Perry is set to adapt Stephen King's 1989 novel The Dark Half, which follows an author whose literary alter ego comes to life with grisly intentions.
- 12/19/2019
- MUBI
Above: The Midnight AfterAs we near the end of not just a year but a decade, we’re becoming inundated with even more lists than usual, as we look back at the last ten years in cinema and are compelled to rank movies for some unknown, possibly nefarious purpose. My default answer for the question of which film has most defined this past decade is Fruit Chan’s The Midnight After (2014), a response which is usually greeted with benign indifference, bemusement, or confusion. But for those of us on its wavelength, no film more perfectly defines this accelerationist decade than the story of the end of the world as seen through sixteen people on a Hong Kong minibus who have no idea what has happened to them, why it happened, or what they should do next. They fumble through explanation after explanation as they are whittled down one by one...
- 11/22/2019
- MUBI
Contemporary Chinese Cinema is a column devoted to exploring contemporary Chinese-language cinema primarily as it is revealed to us at North American multiplexes.Earlier this year, Derek Tsang’s Better Days was abruptly pulled from its intended premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. One of a number of such high profile cancellations, the withdrawal was supposedly for “technical reasons” but widely assumed to be a last-minute decision by the latest version of China’s film censorship regime, which last year adopted new layers of guidelines and processes to an already-opaque and unpredictable system. Still, the film was apparently approved for commercial release this past summer, when it was to debut both in China and in North America. And then it was cancelled again, three days before its opening. And again, no official reason was given. And then, out of nowhere, on October 22nd it was suddenly announced that the...
- 11/5/2019
- MUBI
The first announced guest of the 13th edition of the Five Flavors is Fruit Chan. The diector will be in Warsaw for the Master Class accompanying the retrospective of his films. This will be the first opportunity in Poland to meet this rebellious and always up-and-coming artist and see the key films for the period of Hong Kong’s handover to China.
Coincidentally (or maybe not), Asian Movie Pulse is about to start a new “Fruit Chan Project” in which we will review the whole body of work of the Hong Kong Maestro.
Director Fruit Chan appeared in Hong Kong cinema in the second half of the 90s as an independent artist. The groundbreaking “Made in Hong Kong” – shown at the 11th Five Flavours in 2017 – had no budget or stars and was filmed on leftover film stock. But the picture had something that was more and more often lacking in...
Coincidentally (or maybe not), Asian Movie Pulse is about to start a new “Fruit Chan Project” in which we will review the whole body of work of the Hong Kong Maestro.
Director Fruit Chan appeared in Hong Kong cinema in the second half of the 90s as an independent artist. The groundbreaking “Made in Hong Kong” – shown at the 11th Five Flavours in 2017 – had no budget or stars and was filmed on leftover film stock. But the picture had something that was more and more often lacking in...
- 7/25/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
It’s time for genre lovers to converge on Montreal for one of the best film festivals, pound for pound, in North America: Fantasia International Film Festival. With over 130 features from all across the globe, their 23rd year of fun has something for everyone.
Twenty years after Fantasia debuted Ringu to North American audiences, director Hideo Nakata returns to the franchise’s iconic character for an Opening Night celebration (July 11) with his latest J-horror Sadako. Combine that with a Special Screening of Fox Searchlight’s Ready or Not (July 27) and Closing Night film Promare (August 1) for a trio of hotly-anticipated films spanning the entire three-week event.
Fill out the rest of your schedule with a stellar line-up including the Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg-starring Vivarium, the world premiere of Hirotaka Adachi’s Stare, an advance screening of Abner Pastoll’s A Good Woman Is Hard to Find, Gabriela Amaral...
Twenty years after Fantasia debuted Ringu to North American audiences, director Hideo Nakata returns to the franchise’s iconic character for an Opening Night celebration (July 11) with his latest J-horror Sadako. Combine that with a Special Screening of Fox Searchlight’s Ready or Not (July 27) and Closing Night film Promare (August 1) for a trio of hotly-anticipated films spanning the entire three-week event.
Fill out the rest of your schedule with a stellar line-up including the Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg-starring Vivarium, the world premiere of Hirotaka Adachi’s Stare, an advance screening of Abner Pastoll’s A Good Woman Is Hard to Find, Gabriela Amaral...
- 7/1/2019
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
One day a Film historian will discover just what Faustian pact was agreed back in the late 1990’s that decreed that if a Hong Kong film maker wanted to enter Hollywood then they must first make a movie with Jean Claude Van Damme. Personally, am still convinced that Van Damme was a life force sucking vampire as no-one was ever quite the same again creatively. Probably the worst affected was Ringo Lam who pre Hollywood was producing a string of edgy action thrillers to rival the best of his contemporaries. After watching his recent output, the re-release of “Full Contact” presents a chance to remind myself just what a force he was.
Jeff, a nightclub bouncer, agrees to a robbery in Thailand to help out his friend Sam who owes money to loansharks. Sam’s cousin Judge and his associates Virgin and Deano betray Jeff, leaving Sam...
Jeff, a nightclub bouncer, agrees to a robbery in Thailand to help out his friend Sam who owes money to loansharks. Sam’s cousin Judge and his associates Virgin and Deano betray Jeff, leaving Sam...
- 6/30/2019
- by Ben Stykuc
- AsianMoviePulse
With a final wave of programming, the 2019 edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival has now released its full lineup, featuring over 130 incredible features from across the globe.
Fantasia International Film Festival
Montreal, Quebec – July 11 to August 1
In addition, the festival is also very proud to announce a record number of repertory titles, its esteemed 2019 jury, a horror film location bus tour through Montreal, and exciting, one-of-a-kind live events with producer Edward R. Pressman, “First Blood” director Ted Kotcheff, and iconic horror host Joe Bob Briggs.
Japanese horror icon ”Sadako” will open fantasia 2019!
Sadako
Twenty years ago, Fantasia celebrated the North American Premiere of Hideo Nakata’s “Ringu” and its sequel, which led to Dreamworks acquiring the franchise and is largely seen as having been the birth of J-Horror in the West. This Summer, the festival is proud to open its 23rd edition with the series’ latest sequel, “Sadako” (North...
Fantasia International Film Festival
Montreal, Quebec – July 11 to August 1
In addition, the festival is also very proud to announce a record number of repertory titles, its esteemed 2019 jury, a horror film location bus tour through Montreal, and exciting, one-of-a-kind live events with producer Edward R. Pressman, “First Blood” director Ted Kotcheff, and iconic horror host Joe Bob Briggs.
Japanese horror icon ”Sadako” will open fantasia 2019!
Sadako
Twenty years ago, Fantasia celebrated the North American Premiere of Hideo Nakata’s “Ringu” and its sequel, which led to Dreamworks acquiring the franchise and is largely seen as having been the birth of J-Horror in the West. This Summer, the festival is proud to open its 23rd edition with the series’ latest sequel, “Sadako” (North...
- 6/28/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
“Tell her about our father.”
Swedish directors André and Vito Gogola cannot deny the roots of their short film “Ren”. In fact, they are quite vocal about the inspirations for their film as the tagline on YouTube speaks of an “80’s Hong Kong Style Short Film”. Since this evokes the works from directors such as John Woo and Ringo Lam, the stakes are set quite high for their production in terms of visual storytelling, the insistence on pathos as well as the obligatory gun battles which have become the trademarks for the cinema of that time.
In the film, a young girl named Ava (Jamie Yun) enjoys a quiet evening with some of her friends when suddenly a few unwelcome visitors enter her apartment. Three men who introduce themselves as members of the Kongbu mafia, an infamous crime family from China, and state their former boss was the true father of Ava.
Swedish directors André and Vito Gogola cannot deny the roots of their short film “Ren”. In fact, they are quite vocal about the inspirations for their film as the tagline on YouTube speaks of an “80’s Hong Kong Style Short Film”. Since this evokes the works from directors such as John Woo and Ringo Lam, the stakes are set quite high for their production in terms of visual storytelling, the insistence on pathos as well as the obligatory gun battles which have become the trademarks for the cinema of that time.
In the film, a young girl named Ava (Jamie Yun) enjoys a quiet evening with some of her friends when suddenly a few unwelcome visitors enter her apartment. Three men who introduce themselves as members of the Kongbu mafia, an infamous crime family from China, and state their former boss was the true father of Ava.
- 5/13/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Definitely among the late Ringo Lam’s best films, “City on Fire” is one of the most iconic Hong Kong films of all time, although its international fame came after Tarantino used several elements (including the Mexican standoff) in “Reservoir Dogs”. Furthermore, the film was one of the titles that propelled Chow Yun Fat’s career towards stardom while it netted him the Best Actor and Lam the Best Director prizes at the 1988 Hong Kong Film Awards.
“City on Fire” screened at Udine Far East Film Festival
After one of his undercover cops is brutally stabbed to death, Inspector Lau orders his other “mole”, Ko Chow, to continue the deceased’s investigation into a jewelry robbing gang. Ko Chow is reluctant, since him being undercover has led to a number of issues, both in his line of work, and in his personal life, where his girlfriend, Hung, is fed up...
“City on Fire” screened at Udine Far East Film Festival
After one of his undercover cops is brutally stabbed to death, Inspector Lau orders his other “mole”, Ko Chow, to continue the deceased’s investigation into a jewelry robbing gang. Ko Chow is reluctant, since him being undercover has led to a number of issues, both in his line of work, and in his personal life, where his girlfriend, Hung, is fed up...
- 5/5/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
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